Chapter 17: He Was Shocked—He Actually Wanted to Reclaim His Surname

"What's going on here? What is all this ruckus!"

A sudden bellow cut through the wails of pain and immediately drew the attention of the onlookers at the door.

Everyone turned to see Xiao An sweeping his gaze over the crowd, his brows furrowed. His voice was cold and sharp, "This is the Registrar's Office, not a place for your childish chaos."

Even if they were usually reckless, at this moment, those few young men knew they had to show some sense. They exchanged glances, then gritted their teeth and scrambled forward, stumbling and crawling toward Xiao An.

Moments later—thump, thump, thump—they began kowtowing.

"Please, sir, give us justice!"

Xiao An scowled and kicked one of them aside. "How many times do I have to say it? Speak from a distance. None of you bathe, and you dare get this close—trying to kill me with your stink?"

The youths shrank back, glancing at each other, unsure how to respond.

Fortunately, Xiao An spoke again, "Go on then, what justice do you want me to serve?"

One of them, Lin Yun—the one who'd taken the worst beating—spoke first. His mouth was so swollen he whistled slightly as he talked, the words unclear. "My lord, it's Lin Binbin—he's gone too far! He ambushed us when we got off work, completely caught us off guard. Just look at these wounds—he did all this!"

"My lord, fighting is clearly forbidden here, yet Lin Binbin dares to do so. Isn't that a blatant challenge to your authority?"

"If this behavior is allowed to fester, won't it get worse over time? Eventually he won't even respect your rule!"

Xiao An gave them a sideways glance, sneering like he'd just heard the funniest joke.

"So what you're saying… is that this is my fault? That I haven't managed things well?"

"My lord, we wouldn't dare! We're just…"

Terrified, they quickly shut their mouths, not daring to contradict him further. All they could hope for was that the Registrar would see the truth and punish that brat Lin Binbin.

Xiao An's fingers tapped rhythmically on the back of his chair—tap, tap, tap—each beat landing squarely on their nerves, until suddenly the tapping stopped.

"If I recall correctly, you boys are from the Lin clan's branch family?"

"Yes, my lord."

Xiao An let out a cold chuckle. "If I'm not mistaken, you're all over twenty years old. You should've been assigned to the adult teams for heavy labor in the mines. But Lin Qin, out of concern for your families and since you're all only sons, pleaded on your behalf. It was only because of that that I made an exception and let you into the livestock ward instead."

"And now, here you are—dragging your benefactor's son to the Registrar's Office over some petty grudge…" His voice dipped colder. "Is that how the Lin branch repays kindness?"

The whole place fell silent. Then soft murmurs began to rise from outside the door.

"Did I hear that right? Isn't Lin Binbin just a seven-year-old kid? I remember him looking like a porcelain doll—adorable. And he beat up several grown men? Looking at them now… he really didn't hold back!"

"Haha, good! They deserved it. My kid told me he was bullied by these bastards in the livestock ward."

"Exactly! If it weren't for Lord Lin Qin's favor, would they have had the chance to throw their weight around? Now they're turning on his child? Why don't they just go cry to the emperor while they're at it…"

Yet even understanding the backstory, the sight of Lin Binbin's tiny frame compared to these grown men still felt surreal.

Their faces flushed with embarrassment—they hadn't expected to be scolded by the crowd. But remembering Lin Binbin's earlier threat, they just couldn't let it go.

Finally, one of them muttered, "With all due respect, my lord, these are two separate matters. It's the Lin family's fault we ended up in this place suffering punishment. They should've taken care of us! Don't talk to us about gratitude—honestly, that debt can't be repaid in a lifetime!"

Xiao An frowned.

If they shared a surname, they shared both blessings and misfortunes. But these boys wanted only the good, never the bad? The world didn't work that way.

"But don't you bear the Lin name too?"

Suddenly, a young, cold voice cut in.

The boys turned—and found themselves face-to-face with a pair of eyes as sharp as frost.

Lin Binbin was standing right behind them, practically within arm's reach.

"If you want to draw a line between us—then fine. From now on, we're reclaiming the Lin name. You—start calling yourself Jin Yuan. And you—Wang Yun. No need to sully the name Lin by using it for your filthy deeds and dragging the rest of our clan through the mud."

He then turned and bowed respectfully to Xiao An. "Greetings, my lord."

"My lord, look at this brat! He hit us first, now he's spouting nonsense and threatening to take back our surname? We're all convicts here—he's not better than us. Who does he think he is?"

Lin Binbin glanced at them and spoke evenly. "I'm the main family. You're the branch. Your ancestors lived off our family's silver for generations. Is that reason enough for you?"

They looked up, instinctively wanting to deny it—but the truth in his words silenced them. Resentment burned deeper in their chests.

"My lord, he's twisting words…"

Before they could finish, Lin Binbin bowed again. "My lord, since this involves the family name, it is a domestic matter. May I have your permission to handle it myself?"

He was only seven, yet his words carried the weight of a grown man.

Xiao An raised his eyes, studying the boy's doll-like face, lips pink and perfect. A face anyone would want to pinch. Then he smiled faintly and said, "Permission granted."

"My lord…" The group looked up, bewildered. How had this complaint… turned into a family affair?

When they looked at Lin Binbin again, anger swelled in their chests.

"You brat, you did that on purpose."

Lin Binbin didn't flinch. He met the man's eyes with a faint smirk.

"Yeah. I did."

His tone was calm, almost amused—but the chill beneath his smile was unmistakable.

They were stunned. He actually admitted it.

Sensing the shift in atmosphere—and noticing that the boy's spirit beast wasn't by his side—Lin Yun, the eldest, took a step forward.

"Fine. If this is a family matter, then let me teach you the rules. From now on, when you see us—take the long way around. Or else…"

The look in his eyes made Lin Binbin feel sick.

A dog that bites the hand that feeds it is already filthy. Looking at him just made Binbin feel dirty.

"…Why waste time walking around—"